Targeting April 2028
The unicorn is the ultimate prize in distance running. You either qualify on time (a BQ, graded by age: 3:00 for men aged 35 to 39) or raise serious money for a charity place, typically US$10,000 to US$15,000. It is the pinnacle of the Abbott World Marathon Majors. Denny has no place yet: Boston is a target.
Dates, entries and plans can change. Ballots, bookings, injuries, illness, cancellations and new races all play a part. Denny sends a voice note every week and this site follows it.
BQ, Men 35 to 39
SUB 3:00
Charity Place
$10K to $15K
Total Flight/Hotel
£1,800 to £2,500
What Denny's up against
How hard is the Boston Marathon?
Time until the start
Counting down to 17 April 2028, using 2026's first start (9:06am in Boston).
Net drop
About 140 m
Newton Hills
4, miles 16 to 21
Start temp (avg)
12°C
Field
About 30,000
Boston is point to point, from Hopkinton to Boylston Street, through eight cities and towns. It falls about 140 metres overall, and that is the trap: the downhill first 15 km batters the thighs before the real test arrives. Past the Wellesley scream tunnel at about mile 12, the four Newton Hills begin at mile 16 and finish with Heartbreak Hill at mile 20, the longest and steepest of them.
Then it is right on Hereford, left on Boylston, and home. Race mornings average about 12°C at the start, and the usual breeze comes from the east-south-east, a headwind on an eastbound course. Getting in is a race of its own: there is no ballot, only a qualifying time or a charity place.
Sources, checked September 2026: B.A.A., 17 April 2028 · B.A.A. course · The Running Channel · Marathon Handbook · FindMyMarathon
Back to where it began
Chicago
12 Oct 2025 · 4:16:52